Autotruck-vehicle.



No. 655,32l. Patented Aug. 7, 1900. .1. c. ANDERSON.

AUTOTBUGK VEHICLE.

(Application filed Sept. 23, 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Shasta-Sheet No.655,321. Patented Aug. 7, I900. J. C. ANDERSON.

AUTOTRUCK VEHICLE.

(Application filed Sept. 23, 1899.)

(No Indel.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Save," :01,

Nrrnn STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

JAMES (I. ANDERSON, OF HIGHLAND PARK, ILLINOIS.

AUTOTRUC SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 65 5,321,dated August 7,

Application filed September 23,189

land Park, in the county'of Lake and State of Illinois, have in ventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Autotruck Vehicles; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact'descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art towhiclrit appertaius to make and use the same.

My inven tion relates to certain new and useful improvements inautotruck vehicles or I Vehicles having power within themselves forpropulsion, and especially to that class dej-stgned-foncarryi g heavyloads.

In all large cities the vehicles designed for trucking are necessarilylimited in proportlon, because 1n exact proportion to thesize andcharacter of the vehicle the animal power must be commensurate, andtherefore the space .required for the truck and animals is limited,--and consequently a multiplicity of vehicles becomes necessary totransport a given large amount of freight or frequent trips of a limitednumber of vehicles to transport the same.

My invention has for one object to provide a vehicle which will carry agiven bulk and weight of freight and occupy less superficial area ofstreet-surface than an ordinary. vehicle of equal capacity, andconsequently a less number of such vehicles of reasonable dimensionswill be required than would otherwise be the case. 7 I

My invention has for a further object to provide a vehicle which may beloaded and unloaded with greater rapidity and less manual labor than theordinary truck.

With these ends in view my invention con; sists in the constructionandarrangeui'ent hereinafter and in detail described.

In order that those skilled in the art to which my invention appertainsmay know how to make and use the same, I will proceed to describe theconstruction and operation of my'improved autotruck vehicle, referringby characters to. the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is aside elevation of a vehicle embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top orK--VEHiCLE.

9, Serial No. 731,462. 7 (No model.)

line .r so of Fig. 1, but showing the crane-arm at right angles to thebody of the vehicle and in elevation; and Fig. a is a section of thecrane on enlarged scale and taken on the same line.

Similar characters of reference denote like parts in the several figuresof the drawings.

A represents the sides of the body, which 6L are hinged to the sideframe I3 of the bottom by hinges 0, one leaf of which extends, as shown,to the upper edge of the sides, to which it is securely fastened byscrews or screw-boltsD. The platform orbottom frame is composed of aseries of channel-beams E (see Fig.3) at suitable distances apart andsecured in position. bythe angle-beams B, which constitute the sides ofthe frame.

F is the bottom, laid upon and secured to the channel-beams of theframe, and G and G are the front and end, respectively, of the body.

The sides are securedin their elevated position and proper relation withthe front and end of the body by hooks or hasps and staples II or in anyother preferred manner.

I I are twin spring-cylinders formed. inte f, gral with a circular headJ, upon which the g, body is mounted through the medium of a o plate K,secured to the under side of the bot tom of the vehicle and mounted wit"ball bearings upon the head J in substantially the manner shown anddescribed in an application filed by me on the'5t-h day of September,1899, Serial No. 729,484, fprggiinprovement in motor-cars.

TheplatesK are square at the top, as shown in dotted lines at Fig. 2,and in addition'to the bolts at the four corners are held be tween. thelongitudinal angle-irons B and similarlyshaped short an gle-irons L,arranged between the channel-beams E, which are bolted in place andconstitute stiffening-braces to the' frames. The circular head J iscountersunk on the under side and formed with a central passage for thestem of the fork, which carries at its lower ends the axle upon whichthe wheels N rotate.

The head J of the spring-cylinders I are-1o formed with lugs O, inwhichthe ends of a plan view. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on thespring-cylindersl, from which latter lugs exupper ends of said branchesalso securely T is rocked in either direction by the radial arm V one ofthe rods R will be drawn forward, and consequently the spring-cylinderto which it is'pivoted will likewise be drawn forward,.causi-ng it andits twin,'like.wise the head J, to rotate upon the ballbea ring betweenthe head and the circular plate, and as the fork M and spring-piston Xare mounted upon the axles of the wheels N the latter will rotate withthe head J, all as fully described in the pending applicationhereinbefore referred to. The connecting-rod P between the innercylinders I will cause the wheels at the opposite sides of the vehicleto rotate together, and consequently'the vehicle will be steered in anobvious manner. 1 is a brace bolted at its upper endto the bottom andextending obliquely to a' point below one side of the body of thevehicle, where it branches in opposite directions, as shown at 2 2, withthe connected to the under side of the bottom F, all as clearly shown atFigs. .1- and3. The brace constitutes a step or platform, upon which isrotatively mounted a hollow metal tube 3, to the upper end of which issecured v a radial bifurcated arm. 4,'in which are journaled twochain-pulleys 5 6. The hollow post or tub e 3 passes through the bottomF and is thus supported in its vertical position. within the lower endof the tube 3 is secured a metal cylinder adapted to receive a piston 8,which passes through a packing 9 at the upper end of the cylinder and isbifurcated to receive a pulley 10, which isjournaled therein. The lowerend is closed by a solid plug 11 within a suitable recess, in the lowerend of which is rotatively secured a feed-pipe 12, suitably packed andcommunicating with a vertical and radial passage in the plug.

(Clearly shown at Fig g) A vertical ipe 13 connects at its lower endwith the radial passage in the plug 11, and its upper end is threadedinto the cylinder "iv near its upper end and above the head of thepiston 8 when it is in, its most elevated position. A chain 14, havingone end firmly secured to the up- "is provided at its free end clearlyshown.

per end of the hollow post or tube 3, passes around the-pulley 10 in theend of the piston, thence up and over the pulleys 5 and 6, and

The pipe 12 connects with a reservoir L', as shown in Fig. 1 and indotted lines. at Fig. 2,

containing steam, air, or other suitable agent with a hoolr 15, as

for operating the piston S, and the supply and exhaust are controlled byan ordinary two-way cock suitably located in the pipe 12. The tube 3 andarm 4 constitute a revolving crane, and any load secured to the hook 15is raised in an obvious manner by the downward stroke of the piston 8,and consequently the crane and its connections provides a loading devicewhich may be readily operated by one man." The crane is locatedcentrally of the two ends of the vehicle, and the arm la is of suchlength that the load lifted by the hook 15 may be deposited at anydesired locality.

'16 is a drivers seat which is secured in po-.

sition by a pivot 17, as shown in dotted lines at Fig. 2 and it may beturned out of the way when the loading or unloading is in progress.

'- Thefront or traction wheels A arejourn'aled in vibratingforks B,which are pivoted at one end to a vertical leg C, securedto the body;

of the vehicle, and to the axle of the wheel,

near each end, are pivotally connected pistons.

D, which reciprocate in spring-cylinders provided with springs, as fullydescribed in the application before referred to.

F is a'brake-shoe operated throughthe.

and chains with the traction or 'drivin g wheels A and controlled bythe'driver through the medium of a hand-lever rock-shaft N, and rod 0 inan obvious manner.

The sides being hinged, as shown, may be turned outwardly anddownwardly. to permit the free sweep of the crane and any load suspendedthereto, and as the supporting-wheels of the'vehicle are intended to beonly about twenty-four to thirty i'nches'in diameter the sides A whenturned down obliquely will contact with the sidewalk. o'r foot'pavementand constitute an inclined platform, upon 'rro.

which the vehicle may be loaded by .hand

- when the character of the freight does not require the degree crane.

tails of construction withoutdeparting from thenspirit of my invention,the'gist ofwhich rests in the idea of a vehicle provided with auto orinherent power of propulsionand with a swinging loading-crane and meansfor of power exerted by the Many changes may bemade in the mere de-'operating the same, as heretofore explained.

While I have shown the sides adapted to turn outwardly and downwardlyfor the pur-' poses explained and prefer such construction andarrangement to avoid the raising of freight or packages to an undue'height and v to] facilitate loading-without the use of the crane, itwill be understood that I may make the sides fixed in "relation to theother parts of the body, if deemed desirable.

With my improved vehicle it willfbeseen' that not only-dispense with thenecessity of allianimal power for moving the vehicle, thus ancreasingthe carrying capacity and supercia'l area of the same without infringingupon the traffic area of the roadway or street and requiring a lessnumber of vehicles to transport a given quantity of freight, but that Iam also enabled to utilize the power carried for-the-propulsion ofthevehicle to operate ID the loading and unloading devices.

Having described the construction, operation, and advantages of myimproved autotruck vehicle, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is,.

1. An autotrnck vehicle embodying in its organization a body mountedupon driving and steering wheels, means for rotating the driving-wheels,means for controlling the steering-wheels, a power-storage tank or cyl-2o inder connected with the driving mechanism,

a revoluble crane mounted upon the body and provided with lifting'mechanism and means intermediate of the lifting mechanism and thestorage tank or cylinder for applying 2 5 power to the liftingmechanism, substantially I as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In combination with the steering-wheels N, spring-cylinders I, headJ, and lugs O and Q, the rod P connected at its opposite ends to' thelugs O, the steering-rods R, connected to-the lugs Q,-and avibratingever S, he

rock-shaft T and radial lever U, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

3. In an autotruck Vehicle, the body com posed of transversechannel-beams E, longitudinal angle-irons B and'sides A, hinged to theangle-irons B and adapted to be raised and lowered, substantially as andfor the purposes set forth.

4. In combination with an autotruck vehi 4o cle mounted upon driving andsteering wheels and provided with a reservoir containing steam,air, orother similar'agent; a revolvingcrane mounted upon a suitable step orplatform connected with the body of the vehicle,

and provided with a reciprocating piston and a lifting cable or chainoperated by the piston, substantiallyas and for the purpose described.

5. In combination with the autotruck vehicle provided with a reservoircontaining steam, compressed air or other suitable agent, the revolvingcrane mounted upon a step or platform and consisting of the tubular post3, bifurcated radial arm 4, provided with pulleys 5 and 6, the cylinders7, piston 8, pulley 10, cable or chain 14, the plug 11, provided withvertical and radial passage, the conduitpipe 12, and vertical pipe 13,constructed and arranged to operate as hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

JAMES C. ANDERSON.

Vitnesses:

JENNIE G. Boorn, J NO. J. HARROWER.

